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Arenateers,
Some thoughts for the weekend...................
In my clinical work I tend to use a vertical loading gait analysis system to record walking (dynamic) data of each new patient.
I look at footprint shape, areas of high loading (in comparison with the rest of the foot) and centre-of-pressure. I find the resultant information to be useful in the areas of;
baseline data, comparison studies with paediatrics, and patient education. Reliability and repeatability seem to be pretty good :) - (now THERE'S an unscientific term if you like !).

What do others think about carrying out repeatable gait analysis (using whatever system - I only use vertical loading because it's convenient and relatively inexpensive)?

Does anyone have any solid research which shows what a normal homo sap foot looks like when it walks on a hard, flat surface ?
(Is Steve Urry a member yet? )

Regards,
David

Perhaps you can contact:

Ewald Hennig at the University of Essen

http://www.uni-essen.de/~qpd800/index.html


Jo Hamill at University of Massachusetts Amherst

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~jhamill/



or Benno Nigg at University of Calgary

http://www.kin.ucalgary.ca/2002/profiles/nigg.asp

-Kerry

__________________
K. Kerry Rambarran
PhD Candidate (Biomechanics)
Total Foot Care Clinic,
The Rehabilitation Centre,
The Ottawa Hospital

Thanks for that Kerry.
It would be good to have some thread imput too.
As an MA in Biomech you must have some views on this topic ?
Cheers,
David

Great to be a part of a forum such as this.

To obtain valid data of foot to "hard" ground reaction forces, force plates (strain gauge, or peizoeletric) are superb...but terribly expensive. These devices offer highly accurate centre of force (pressure) data.

Tekscan Inc. produces a product called the F-Mat which is designed to record "pressure" between foot / shod foot and floor. Novell produces the Pedobarograph.

There are limitations of such "pressure mat" systems; Since there is deformation of the mat itself, there is an attenuation of ground reaction forces (reduced).

However, since it is consistent (as the mat remains the same trial after trial) you can obtain reliable (repeatable) samples.

Using these mats you can collect multiple trials and ensemble average using other softwear (such as BioProc, or even MS EXCEL). In your work you may come across (and I know some pods / chiropodists dislike the term) "normal"
feet to use as a baseline measurement.

Untill the next generation of sensors are produced that may be the best option to obtain barefoot overground data.

I hope this helps.

-Kerry

__________________
K. Kerry Rambarran
PhD Candidate (Biomechanics)
Total Foot Care Clinic,
The Rehabilitation Centre,
The Ottawa Hospital